Lineage
by number1brawlfan
Summary: During a party to welcome the new members, Robin finds out Jericho's secret. Takes place post season 5/post Titans Together.


**I started this when I was in a really big Jericho (Joey Wilson) mood and I thought I'd write something for the animated Teen Titans series. And I finally finished it today. Now I doubt that this is a new idea, but I wanted to make my own version it.**

**Italics are Jericho's signs (I did the same thing for my fic I Like You with Cass).**

* * *

Cerulean blue swam across the easel, painting an image of a flower. The newest recruits of the Titans had recently come together and after dealing with the Brotherhood of Evil, the new members were invited to a party to celebrate them and get to know them. And while some would be housed at other locations, either in their own team, Titans East, or alone, Jericho was one of the select few to be offered housing at the original Titans Tower. Which he willingly and proudly accepted.

However, instead of joining the rest of the Titans and getting to know the others, Jericho withdrew to his quarters to be alone. As much as he loved getting to know people, he felt a little uncomfortable with the sheer amount of people. Especially with how select few could understand sign language. He knew he could stay close to Raven or Robin, or even Harold or Cyborg, all of which were familiar with sign language and could translate. At the same time, he didn't want to come off as clingy or a nuisance by doing so.

But that wasn't all that bothered him. On top of that, Jericho felt like an outcast. Due to his background and lineage, both of which he hadn't mentioned, he felt anxious about being around several members of the team. Let alone speaking to them.

So with all of these thoughts in mind, Jericho withdrew to the comforts of his room. With his room well equipped with easels, paint supplies, and his lute, he felt a little more at ease. It was a calm quiet that he enjoyed.

A knock on the door startled him slightly, but not enough to risk ruining his project. Jericho paused for a moment taking the paint brush off of the easel. He turned his head slightly, looking at the door as he waited for an introduction.

"Hey Jericho," a voice greeted, "it's Robin." The door opened. "Sorry to intrude, but I can't exactly ask to come in without a visual conformation from you. At least until we set something up for that anyways."

Jericho nodded as he went back to his painting. Knowing that he was pretty engrossed in his project, Robin slowly entered the room. He sat on Jericho's bed and watched him work. As much as he loved watching Jericho paint, Robin wasn't here to spectate.

"Is everything okay?" Robin inquired. "Raven saw you sneak out and she was a little worried."

Jericho shrugged his shoulders as he painted, hoping it would be enough. Robin had a feeling he was trying to evade something. Something felt off.

"Is something wrong?" Robin asked.

Jericho continued to paint, but part of him knew he should reply to Robin. As much as he wanted to leave it at that, he knew it would be rude. And the last thing he wanted was to appear too stand offish.

"_Nothing's wrong."_ Jericho finally signed. _"I just wanted some time to myself."_

He hoped that Robin would leave it at that and leave. But when he didn't hear Robin moving, Jericho knew he wasn't about to. Jericho set his paint brush down. He turned to face Robin. His body shuttered as he bit his lip.

"_My history is complicated."_ Jericho admitted. _"You wouldn't like me if you knew it."_

It was clear that Jericho was distressed by something, but Robin couldn't place his finger on a reason. Sure, the history statement gave him something, but it didn't give him much. Robin stood up and took a few steps towards Jericho.

"That's not true." Robin argued. "You helped us. What makes you think we wouldn't like you?"

Robin reached out for Jericho, hoping to comfort him. But when Jericho retracted, taking a step back, he knew this was a bigger issue than he had expected.

"What's wrong?" Robin asked, now concerned.

"_Nothing."_

Robin sighed, scanning Jericho briefly. He was able to pick up a few clues from it. The slight twitching stated that Jericho seemed nervous about something. The fact he was trying to avoid eye contact meant that he felt ashamed about something.

"Apparently you walked off when Beast Boy, Jinx and Kid Flash were talking about family and villains they've faced." Robin revealed. "At least that's what Raven was able to gather. Did either of those bother you?"

Jericho felt panic begin to rise at that observation. With not much space between him and Robin, it was unnerving. He knew that Robin was just trying to help, but Jericho wasn't comfortable with the approach. Especially since Jericho didn't want to get into the details of Robin's inquiry.

"_I should go."_ Jericho stated, snaking around Robin in an attempt to make it for the door.

"Jericho!" Robin gasped.

Robin grabbed Jericho's wrist, stopping him. Jericho tried to wrangle his arm out of Robin's grip. When Robin refused to loosen his grip, Jericho stopped, slumping his shoulders in defeat. When he felt it was safe to let go, Robin released the silent artist. Jericho turned to face Robin, but he kept his eyes on the ground, refusing to face him.

"_You'll hate me."_ Jericho signed.

"We won't hate you." Robin repeated. "Why would you think that?"

"_My family hurt you guys."_

"What are you talking about?"

"_My father."_

"Who's your father?"

Jericho nervously bit his lip. He didn't want it to get this far. However, he did know he was responsible, at least partially, for it getting this far.

"_Slade."_

The room went silent as Robin's eyes widened in shock. If hearing the name wasn't horrifying enough, the fact that Jericho was claiming to be his son made it. Having only recently gotten to know Jericho, Robin instantly knew he was a kind guy. Compared to Slade, who Robin considered one of the most dangerous people he ever faced, Jericho was the polar opposite.

Robin grimaced, turning his gaze away from Jericho. Anger rose at the thought of Slade and all of his chaos. Suspicions began to rise, making him question Jericho's intent. Robin knew he shouldn't feel that way towards Jericho, but his disturbance was evident.

"Damn it." Robin growled under his breath. "We can't handle another loss."

The dread from Robin's shock caused Jericho's frame to shrink. Regret and pain sunk into green eyes and a lump hit this throat. His body language was genuinely hurt, and when Robin realized just how honestly distress Jericho was, he regretted his reaction.

"Jericho… I…" Robin stuttered, at a loss for words.

When he tried to reach out for Jericho, he ran out of the room. It took a moment to process what happened, but it wasn't any less alarming. Robin tried to run after him, but by the time he got to the hallway, Jericho had managed to disappear.

* * *

Raven was conversing with Jinx, curious about what made her change sides. It was an interesting story, and Kid Flash's humor made it fun. Her attention was stole when Robin tapped her shoulder.

He was alarmed and anxious, which wasn't what she had expected. Even more so when he was there alone. She was expecting Robin to come back with Jericho in tow and confirmation that everything was alright.

"I need your help." Robin requested.

She looked back at the others, who were a bit curious. They gave her a nod, letting her know it was okay to check it out. Robin led Raven out of the room with a problem to explain.

* * *

"I thought I told you to go easy on him." Raven recalled.

"You'll have to excuse my reaction." Robin admitted. "He said his father was Slade, and I reacted."

Raven huffed. She could understand why Robin reacted the way he did, as she had her own suspicions about it, but she knew Jericho was a good guy. Regardless of who his father was.

"Well at least you didn't say Terra." Raven accepted. "He would have been even more upset if you did."

"I feel so stupid." Robin regretted.

"You should. He's a sweet guy. Not much of a fighter, but a humble human being."

Robin turned his attention away from Raven and looked at the hallway. Raven for the most part lead the way. She seemed to know just where to go.

"Do you think he left?" Robin inquired.

"No." Raven denied. "I've been keeping track of his emotions since you've told me about your conversation. If he weren't, his emotions wouldn't be this strong." Raven indifferently rolled her eyes. "And from what I was able to gather, he doesn't really have anywhere to go. His mother wants him to get some independence, and we already know about the father. Just not the context of their relationship. I assume his mother wants to keep him away from Slade because of that." Raven shrugged her shoulders. "Anyways, he's here. He's just hiding."

When Raven opened up a door, Robin realized just where she was leading him to. Her room. Robin curiously eyed the empath as the room appeared empty.

"He feels pretty comfortable here." Raven stated, leading Robin into the room. "Whenever he feels nervous or needs someone to talk to, he comes to me."

"But your room is empty." Robin observed.

Raven approached her closed closet, sitting in front of it. She lightly tapped the door a few times and waited. The door opened up slightly revealing part of a body and a bright green eye. She gave him a soft smile, comforting him.

"Hey Jericho." Raven greeted. "I heard you had a bit of a conflict."

Jericho nodded.

"Care to discuss it?"

Jericho stiffened with discomfort. He scanned as much of the room as he could. When he noticed Robin, he closed the closet door. Raven glared at Robin before looking back at the door.

"It's okay Jericho." Raven sighed. "He's not going to hurt you. He wants to apologize."

Raven glanced at Robin again, this time, nudging her head towards the door. Robin approached the door, crouching down.

"Hey Jericho." Robin greeted. "I... um… I'm sorry for upsetting you. I didn't mean to."

The door remained closed, so any response wasn't going to be visible. And when he didn't hear any moving, Robin knew he had to convince Jericho more.

"You did nothing wrong." Robin comforted. "You're father and I have a complicated history, and he's hurt people close to us." Robin took a breath. "But you're not like him. You're kind and a wonderful human being, and you help us when we needed you most. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

They sat in silence, giving Jericho a moment to process what w'as said and make a decision. The door slowly creaked open just enough for his face and hands to become visible. Green eyes were now rimmed with a red line beneath them.

"_I forgive you."_ Jericho signed.

Jericho opened the door further, until it was just about open, but he decided to stay in the closet. It was clearly an invitation to join him. Knowing who he really wanted to speak with, Raven get up, gave Robin a nod, and excused herself.

"Can I join you?" Robin inquired.

Jericho nodded. He scooted over to make room for Robin. When enough had been made, Robin snuck in. They were silent for a few moments.

"_I still love him, you know?"_ Jericho stated. _"My father."_

"I know." Robin sighed. "He's family and you care for him deeply. I understand that. However, that doesn't mean he's the friendliest guy."

"_Maybe I'm not either."_

"Don't say that. Of course you're a good guy."

"_But he's my father. His blood runs through my veins."_

"And you're nothing like him. When I look at you, I see someone good. Not someone with a sliver of cruel intentions."

Silence wedged itself between them, allowing Jericho to process Robin's words. It was a bit reassuring to hear him say that.

"_Are you okay with that?" _Jericho asked. _"That he's my father?"_

"It'll definitely take some getting used to," Robin admitted, "but I think I'll get over it."

"_You won't tell them will you? The others."_

Robin gave him a sympathetic look. After how he reacted, he couldn't blame Jericho for requesting that.

"Not unless you want me to." Robin replied. "I'll leave that up to you." Robin shrugged his shoulders. "But if you don't mind me suggesting, it may be better if it comes out sooner rather than later. I'd hate for this kind of reaction to happen again."

Jericho nodded.

"You want to come back to the party?" Robin asked.

Jericho nodded again.

"Good." Robin accepted standing up. "Besides, I think Raven wants us out of her room now. She might scare us if we if we don't."

Jericho playfully grinned, as though silently laughing. Robin offered Jericho a hand and helped him stand up and they both left the room.

* * *

**Let me know what you thought about this little Teen Titans oneshot.**


End file.
